Rap perspective: The metaphor of the two birds “Mockingbird” and “Crow,” works perfectly to describe the two halves of this double LP. The first eight tracks imitate the usual sounds of modern country, whereas the capitalized half, tracks 9-17, prove Hardy wants to make a statement in the Country-Rock scene.

HARDY’s sophomore album was everything fans were anticipating: and more. The bilateral album showcases his exceptional writing ability in “the mockingbird,” the first eight songs, and his capability of pouring adrenaline into listeners with “THE CROW, the last nine. The 32-year-old Mississippian’s fanbase is flourishing, and we get the feeling that the 2022 ACM Songwriter of the Year will be around for decades.

Highlights of the album

1.  screen

The anthem’s powerful message heavily applies to America’s new generation. Centered around a homonym, it states that the “good-for-nothing cellphone screen” has prevented us from living in the present as time flies by. Technology has caused us to live less enriching lives, as we are never at enough leisure to simply admire the world “through a back porch screen.” The song plays high-pitched, pedal steel guitar notes, imitating the sound emitted from an old television set.

2. red (feat. Morgan Wallen)

HARDY and Wallen have produced many songs together, and none thus far have been letdowns. “red” was not out of the ordinary. The track highlights that we are united in more ways than divided. Not everyone may belong to the red political party, but we all bleed red under the “blue, white, and red” flag. Even though all the duo used was an electric guitar and a set of drums as background music, they strived for quality over quantity on instruments, delivering a melody that paired beautifully with the moderate tempo.

3. .30-06

HARDY demonstrates his talent for blending genres in his two-minute ballad, “.30-06”. In this tale, Michael Hardy’s significant other steals his hunting rifle out of his truck in retaliation because he isn’t spending enough time with her. He envisions her laughing while selling the gun, wrongly believing her act dismantles his season. To Hardy, the damage is minimal: she doesn’t understand that “one less .30-06 to a redneck” means nothing, as he has multiple more throughout the house and will go hunting again tomorrow. With scattered guitar riffs and distorted microphones, it’s easy to mistake this for a Bush rock n’ roll song from the late 90s.

Artist Performance: 8.6/10

HARDY poured his heart and soul into this album, and the degree of creativity was impeccable. With that being said, references to hunting became repetitive; the topic made its way into more than half of the record’s numbers. 

Production: 9.4/10

This record was an instrumental masterpiece. The album conveyed a full palate of emotions, and the contributions from the percussion and chordophone branches were unparalleled. 

Replay Value: 7.3/10

The nature of this album is incomparable, which causes its replay value to take a hit. There isn’t a wide variety of settings that invite the emotional tone of this release. 

Overall: 8.4/10